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Channel Descriptionen-usTue, 31 Mar 2015 12:00:00 -0500Fri, 20 Mar 2015 12:00:00 -0500http://www.rssboard.org/rss-2-0-1Issues in Ecology, Issue 18: Climate Change and U.S Natural Resources: Advancing the Nation's Capability to Adapthttp://ecoed.esa.org/index.php?P=FullRecord&ResourceId=568
http://ecoed.esa.org/index.php?P=FullRecord&ResourceId=568Climate change is affecting land, water, and biodiversity in a variety of ways. While managing ecosystems and resources by relying on an expected set of climate conditions may have worked in the past, a growing number of managers understand the need to develop new ways to manage ecosystems in the face of climate change. The purpose of this Issue is to provide a broad perspective on approaches for adapting to climate change impacts on national water and land resources and biodiversity. Using examples from different management settings, we explore ways to apply management options implemented by government agencies in needs of increasing the nation’s capacity to adapt, that allow natural and managed systems to adjust to the range of potential variations in future climate conditions.Wed, 11 Mar 2015 03:25:00 -0500Issues in Ecology, Issue 17: Ecological Dimensions of Biofuelshttp://ecoed.esa.org/index.php?P=FullRecord&ResourceId=567
http://ecoed.esa.org/index.php?P=FullRecord&ResourceId=567The promise of biofuels as a renewable, environmentally friendly energy source has driven a worldwide expansion in their production. However, many questions remain about how to produce biofuels without causing new and unanticipated environmental impacts. This report summarizes the environmental effects of biofuels, illustrate some uncertainties about these effects, and identify topics for an integrated research program aimed at clarifying tradeoffs and reducing uncertainties in planning for sustainable biofuels production. Considerations include effects on GHG emissions, soil carbon, water supply and quantity, land use, and biodiversity.Wed, 11 Mar 2015 03:08:40 -0500Issues in Ecology, Issue 16: The Role of Landscape Connectivity in Planning and Implementing Conservation and Restoration Prioritieshttp://ecoed.esa.org/index.php?P=FullRecord&ResourceId=566
http://ecoed.esa.org/index.php?P=FullRecord&ResourceId=566Many conservation efforts focus on protecting and enhancing connectivity to offset the impacts of habitat loss and fragmentation on biodiversity conservation, and to increase the resilience of reserve networks to potential threats associated with climate change. Identifying effective approaches for maintaining and restoring connectivity poses several challenges, and our understanding of how connectivity should be designed to mitigate the impacts of climate change is, as yet, in its infancy. While this Issue identifies substantial uncertainties in mapping connectivity and evaluating resilience to climate change, it is also clear that integrating human and natural landscape conservation planning to enhance habitat connectivity is essential for biodiversity conservation.Wed, 11 Mar 2015 02:51:45 -0500Fish schooling simulation to teach tradeoffs in animal behaviorhttp://ecoed.esa.org/index.php?P=FullRecord&ResourceId=558
http://ecoed.esa.org/index.php?P=FullRecord&ResourceId=558Tradeoffs between fitness costs and benefits are an overarching theme in behavioral ecology. This theme of tradeoffs is particularly evident in the study of antipredator behavior. Although class discussions of these tradeoffs are key, it can be difficult to guide students to think creatively about behavioral strategies. This activity promotes deeper understanding of antipredator behavior tradeoffs and creative thinking by having students play the role of fish, predators, and refuges in a simulation of schooling behavior. For the ‘fish’ in the school, the ultimate goal is to reach refuges; however, only a handful of fish are able to identify refuges or predators. The remaining ‘fish’ must learn to identify cues from predators and other members of the school. Through repeated simulations, the students actively learn how to identify predators and which strategies helped them to survive. This activity is best followed by small group and class discussions to explore predator identification, strategies of fish to avoid predators, predator strategies to catch more fish, and the potential fitness costs of these strategies. The activity presented here can be scaled to fit a variety of class times and educational levels.Wed, 28 Jan 2015 03:05:50 -0600Processes that Regulate Patterns of Species and Genetic Diversityhttp://ecoed.esa.org/index.php?P=FullRecord&ResourceId=563
http://ecoed.esa.org/index.php?P=FullRecord&ResourceId=563During a single lab period, students simulate colonization and drift in artificial communities to understand how these processes affect distributions of biodiversity in small versus large communities with varying degrees of isolation. Plastic bins represent islands, and are situated to represent different degrees of isolation. Ziploc bags of candy represent individuals in the communities and different candies inside the bags represent the genetic composition of the individuals. Students simulate colonization and drift in communities by tossing, replicating, and removing individuals from their communities. Students record which individuals and candies are removed from and added to their communities over time, graph their data, and discuss results. TIEEWed, 21 Jan 2015 02:10:01 -0600How many species are there? Determining species richnesshttp://ecoed.esa.org/index.php?P=FullRecord&ResourceId=564
http://ecoed.esa.org/index.php?P=FullRecord&ResourceId=564One of the simplest questions an ecologist can ask about a site is how many species live there. The answer is important for basic researchers and managers alike, but can be deceptively hard to obtain. This exercise introduces students to the issues surrounding the estimation of species richness, and can be completed in a single three-hour lab session. Students will learn to collect data in the field, obtain their own estimates of species richness, and evaluate the underlying assumptions and validity of these estimates. The exercise is written for estimating the species richness of trees in forests but could easily be adapted for other plant or animal communities. TIEEWed, 21 Jan 2015 02:09:39 -0600Patterns and process in Landscape Ecology: Physical template, biotic interactions, and disturbance regimehttp://ecoed.esa.org/index.php?P=FullRecord&ResourceId=562
http://ecoed.esa.org/index.php?P=FullRecord&ResourceId=562Ecological processes and patterns interact at various scales across landscapes. Spatially explicit consideration of pattern and process can better inform ecological questions. This Figure Set introduces students to the variability in scales of pattern and process and to the fundamentals of Landscape Ecology. TIEEWed, 21 Jan 2015 01:52:08 -0600How do pawpaws affect tree regeneration?http://ecoed.esa.org/index.php?P=FullRecord&ResourceId=561
http://ecoed.esa.org/index.php?P=FullRecord&ResourceId=561In this study, students investigate whether and how much the native understory shrub pawpaw (Asimina triloba) may affect tree regeneration in a forested habitat. During one lab period in the field, they collect data on the densities of tree seedlings and saplings under varying densities of pawpaws. During a second lab period in a classroom, they test whether tree densities are lower under pawpaws, and whether plots with higher densities of pawpaws have lower densities of trees. After discussing a guide to writing lab reports, students participate in a “writing workshop” in which they read examples of student lab reports and discuss how to improve them. Students then report their findings in a brief lab report. This project introduces students to key components of ecological research including transect and plot sampling, paired designs, statistical analysis and scientific writing.Tue, 9 Dec 2014 08:13:49 -0600Agapostemon sweat beehttp://ecoed.esa.org/index.php?P=FullRecord&ResourceId=557
http://ecoed.esa.org/index.php?P=FullRecord&ResourceId=557As global food demand increases, farmers are increasingly relying on single, managed bee species (often honey bees) to pollinate their crops. However, honey bees are not the best pollinators for all crops, and honey bee colonies have recently been experiencing health problems, notably colony collapse disorder. Recent research has shown that promoting a diversity of wild insect pollinators – such as the sweat bee in this photograph – can augment crop yield. This can be done through such practices as decreasing pesticide use, planting multiple crops, and planting wildflowers around crop fields. This image originally appeared on the cover of Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment in October of 2014.Wed, 12 Nov 2014 05:39:40 -0600Chemical Competition in Peatlandshttp://ecoed.esa.org/index.php?P=FullRecord&ResourceId=548
http://ecoed.esa.org/index.php?P=FullRecord&ResourceId=548These lab exercises were designed to enhance students’ understanding of the concept of chemical competition in ecology. They use the moss Sphagnum to illustrate the concept, which shows students that competition occurs between plants. Many of the traditional examples show competition as a physical battle between animals. By using the chemical alteration of the environment by Sphagnum, a teacher can also review the concept of pH, in a biological framework. As a result, the lab can be used in either an ecology unit or a chemistry unit, within a biology course. The lab was designed for 10th to 12th grade classrooms.Tue, 14 Oct 2014 09:29:20 -0500Plant stem gravitropismhttp://ecoed.esa.org/index.php?P=FullRecord&ResourceId=544
http://ecoed.esa.org/index.php?P=FullRecord&ResourceId=544This video demonstrates how stems moves to remain upright in a process called gravitropism.Tue, 14 Oct 2014 09:13:06 -0500Plant root adaptationshttp://ecoed.esa.org/index.php?P=FullRecord&ResourceId=553
http://ecoed.esa.org/index.php?P=FullRecord&ResourceId=553This video demonstrates plant root adaptations to gravity and to maximize water uptake using time-lapse imaging.Tue, 14 Oct 2014 09:12:37 -0500Cytoplasmic Streaminghttp://ecoed.esa.org/index.php?P=FullRecord&ResourceId=552
http://ecoed.esa.org/index.php?P=FullRecord&ResourceId=552A video showing chloroplasts moving by cytoplasmic streaming in the cells of the aquatic plant ElodeaTue, 14 Oct 2014 09:12:19 -0500A visit to the miniature forest Insights into the biology and evolution of Bryophytes in Northeastern Connecticuthttp://ecoed.esa.org/index.php?P=FullRecord&ResourceId=547
http://ecoed.esa.org/index.php?P=FullRecord&ResourceId=547The naturalist walking through the forests and wetlands of Northeastern Connecticut searches for the hidden flowers and listens to the songs of the birds. The mosses and liverworts that cover the trail bank, color the tree trunks in shades of green and form soft cushions or carpets on the boulders, typically pass unnoticed. Yet several hundred species of Bryophytes occur in our region, and provide important services to the ecosystem, including partially controlling water movement, decreasing erosion, and providing microhabitats for numerous invertebrates. They can even dominate the vegetation in an area or, as in rainforests, compose a majority of the biomass in a local area.Bryophytes are common, diverse and locally abundant. A closer look at their architecture, habitat, and life history provides insights into the ecological roles of bryophytes, the challenges encountered by plants on land and the solutions to some of these obstacles. This guide is not a field guide to the bryophytes of the forest. Accurate identification of bryophyte species often requires observation of microscopic characters. The guide aims to highlight some of the species common to the area and to raise awareness of bryophytes as a component of our forests, presenting aspects of plant biology through the “eyes” of a bryophyte.Please contact Dr. Bernard Goffinet (bernard.goffinet@uconn.edu) to order printed color versions of this brochure.Wed, 1 Oct 2014 04:38:43 -0500Phylogenetic Approach to Teaching Plant Diversityhttp://ecoed.esa.org/index.php?P=FullRecord&ResourceId=546
http://ecoed.esa.org/index.php?P=FullRecord&ResourceId=546This guided inquiry module provides an approach to teaching major groups of terrestrial plants and the methods used to construct and analyze phylogenies.Mon, 15 Sep 2014 04:42:57 -0500